South Florida OL flying up the charts

Jeremy Patterson | Recruiting Analyst

Delray Beach, Fla. - Every year in the state of Florida those guys pop up during their senior season that you've never heard of. One of those players is Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, who did not play his junior season because he transferred from a school in Toronto, Canada.

"Every camp that I went to this summer the coaches told me that I had excellent feet," Franklin said. "I think my footwork is my best aspect, but I'm not bad in the weight room. I think I am better pass blocker because of my footwork and agility, but I enjoy doing both."

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Franklin attended the NIKE camp in Miami where he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.47 seconds, posted a 22-inch vertical jump and did 21 reps on the bench press.

"The recruiting process has been going great lately for me," Franklin said. "I started getting a little attention after the NIKE camp, but not a ton. During the spring though all of those coaches came by and were real impressed and a lot of them just wanted to see film before they offered. Now that they have seen film, I've gotten a lot of offers."

Though Franklin is not from Florida that doesn't mean he doesn't like the fun in the sun and it appears as though he may be tough to pluck from the sunshine state.

"I really like the big three in Florida," Franklin said. "I lived up in Canada and I knew all about those teams. I also like Louisville and Pittsburgh. Louisville was one of the first to offer. I really don't want to leave the state of Florida, but I will if that is the best opportunity for me."

I visited Florida for the Tennessee game and that was just crazy. That atmosphere was just amazing. I used to hear about Miami all the time up in Canada and I loved their colors and just the team. It's close by so my friends, family and coaches can come see me play. Florida State is a big school. They have FSU, Florida A&M and a junior college up there so it's basically a huge college town where you can meet a lot of people and I like that."

Don't be shocked if you see a meteoric rise in Franklin's ranking between now and signing day.

"My mom is a health care aid and she is gone a lot," Franklin said. "My brother basically raised me and we're real close, he's basically a father figure to me. He is going to have the biggest say in my decision."